Chaeles d



(N0 Model.)

D- ROGERS.

BARB WIRE.

No. 376,4 I I Patented Jan. 10, 1888.

N, PLIERS, Plww-Litho m har. Washinglon. ac

UNITED STATES 'ATENT FFICE- CHARLES D. ROGERS, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODEISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN SCREW COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

BARB-WIRE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 376,418, dated January10,1888.

Application filed July 30, 1887. Serial No. 245658. (No model.)-

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CHARLES D. Roenns, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barb-Wire;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being badto the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of referencemarked thereon,which formapart of this specification.

In making barbed wire for fences some provision is required for keepingthe barbs at the proper distance apart and for preventing them fromturning around on the wire. The most common method for doing this is touse two wires twisted together, on one of which are placed the barbs,while the other wire prevents the displacement of the barbs either byturning axially or by sliding along the wire on which it is placed. Thefinished article is thus made up of two strands of wire with the barbsheld in position by the joint action of both wires. The use of two wiresincreases the cost of fence-wire very materially, since the cost perfoot for drawing wire increases with the reduction of the size, and withthe twisted wires two feet of wire must be drawn to a small size foreach foot of the completed barbed wire.

The object I have in view is to produce an article of a single strandprovided with barbs held in position by the form of the strand, andwhich can be made much more cheaply than the ordinary twisted wire. Someother advantages are secured by special features of the article hereindescribed. I fasten the barbs by passing the wire throughan orifice ineach barb'and flattening it on each side of the barb. The hole in thebarb being of the same diameter substantially as the wire before it isflattened, the flattening prevents the barb from sliding along the wire,and as the flattening when the wire is seized by the flattening devicesclose to the barbs will extend into the hole sufficient friction will besecured to prevent, the barb from turning axially; or the barb itselfmay be compressed upon the wire so as to insure'the requisite friction.

The barbs may be made by binding short wires around the fence-wire inthe usual way or by cutting disks or" metal into the required form withholes through them through which thewire passes. I also flatten andtwist the whole length of each section between the barbs, the twist ofeach section being in the opposite direction from that of the adjacentsections. By reason. of the twisting the light is reflected at allangles from the wire and the wire is rendered more conspicuous. Thetwisting of bands or strips of metal for fencing purposes is old, butthe twisting in sections and in opposite directions is, I believe, newwith me. The advantage of twisting in this manner is that the mechanismfor effecting it is much more simple than that required for twisting aband continuously in one direction,and consequently the cost of wire isreduced.

' The wire which is the subject of my present invention is representedin the drawings annexed hereto, whereon Figure 1 is a perspective Viewof a piece of plain round wire or strand. Fig. 2 is a plan view of thewire after being flattened and having the barbs fixed thereon. Fig. 3 isa view after being twisted. Fig. 4 is a similar twisted wire having thebarbs formed from pieces of wire wound thereon. Fig. 5 is across-section of the strand of wire contiguous to the barb,enlarged.Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof, taken through thecenter; and Figs. 7 and 8 are similar views representing the barbwireshown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, a indicates a strand of plain wire, and b the barbs cutfrom sheet metal. The barbs are placed and fixed in position upon thewire by suitable mechanism. The wire intermediate of the barbs isflattened, as at a, thereby producing a barbed ribbon wire.

By means of mechanism which need not be described herewith each sectionof wire between the barbs is twisted in the opposite direction from thatof the adjacent sections, as I shown at (1 In lieu of the sheet-metalbarbs b,I may use shortpieces of wire,which are coiled or wound aroundthe strand in the usual way, as shown at b. I prefer to compress thebarbs upon the wire at the same time that the reducingrolls act toflatten the strand. By means of such construction the barbs are veryfirmly secured upon the wire, and are prevented from turning axially.(See Figs. 5 to S.)

In an application 01." even date herewith I have described a machine bywhich the above described wire may be made commercially and cheap] y.

I claim as my invention-- 1. The barbed wire hereinbel'orc describedconsisting of a single wire having barbs secured thereon at intervalsandhaving the sections of wire intermediate of the barbs flattened out to awidth considerably exceeding that of the normal size of the wire.

2. The barbed wire hereinbefore described, consisting of a single strandof wire having barbs secured thereon at intervals, and having thesections of wire intermediate of said barbs flattened out and twisted toa width considerably exceeding that of the normal size of the wire.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my sig' 25 nature in presence of twowitnesses.

CHARLES D. ROGERS.

\Vilnesses:

humus HANNIGAN, Gno. II. REMINGTON.

